After reading the second half of Beverly Daniel Tatum’s Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? I would like to commend her for having the courage to bring the issues of race and racism in America to light. There are those who believe talking about race can only cause more frustration and serve to polarize the races even further, but I agree with Tatum when she says that there is a psychological cost of silence. “As a society, we pay a price for our silence. Unchallenged personal, cultural and institutional racism results in the loss of human potential, lowered productivity, and a rising tide of fear and violence in our society.”

I agree wholeheartedly. No topic in America should be taboo, especially the topic of race. Communication is the best way to promote understanding and solve problems non-violently. Tatum’s book is a powerful (although extreme) tool for challenging racism in America. It’s a radical wrecking-ball crashing through traditional thinking, forcing everyone who reads it to reexamine the way they view race relations in the United States.

However, this doesn’t mean we should embrace all of its ideas and accept them at face value. There are many concepts in Tatum’s book that are off-base and oversimplified—points that come from a worldview that is limited in scope and perspective.

For example, in Part III of her book, Tatum presumes to tell us all how to understand “Whiteness in a White Context”. If I recall correctly, isn’t Tatum black? Then how exactly does she have the life experiences and credentials to write about the thoughts, perceptions, prejudices and inner-struggles of white Americans? Because she’s taught at SpelmanCollege, a historically black liberal arts college for women in AtlantaGeorgia? Because she’s held workshops and roundtables on racism with white liberal college students? Because she’s interviewed “angry white men” and can now understand the psyche of those white Americans who disagree with her ideas and politics?

Tatum has misrepresented whites in several areas. Because whites are supposedly the “unexamined norm” of society, she claims they “can easily reach adulthood without thinking much about their racial group.” She also states they “tend to think of racial identity as something that other people have, not something that is salient for them.”

I can see how Tatum might have arrived at this misconception. During her workshops on race, it’s quite possible that many of her liberal white college participants were so guilty about being white, they hesitated to mention it as part of their identity. This seems to be an offshoot of our politically correct culture: when it comes to discussions on race, being white is synonymous with being the bad guy.

The reality is, many white people do think about their racial group and identity. We are not permitted to come out and celebrate being white (unless you want to be associated with the KKK), but we are proud of our heritage. Think about it. How many whites do you know—young and old—who wave the Irish flag (St. Patrick’s Day; Irish American Heritage Night at Citizen’s BankPark)? How many whites are proud of being Italian (ever see the T-shirt that says, Italians do it better)? How about the Greeks? And the Poles? And the Jews?

Tatum also misrepresents whites when it comes to Affirmative Action. She claims that white folks who believe in Affirmative Action are healthy with a positive self identity, and those who disagree with it are confused and suffering from something she calls “aversion racism”. Tatum defines aversion racism as “an attitudinal adaptation resulting from an assimilation of an egalitarian value system with prejudice and racist beliefs”. In other words, if you don’t believe in a system that awards jobs, contracts and college admissions to people based on skin color, you are a racist who is “breathing the smog of racial biases and stereotypes pervading the popular culture.”

I’ve been teaching racially diverse students in the PhiladelphiaSchool District for 12 years. I’ve worked for the Philadelphia Youth Network for six summers, spending time with students on playgrounds in Southwest Philadelphia, in basements of churches in North Philadelphia, and in rec centers in a dozen other parts of the city. I am fair, open-minded, and compassionate. But because I don’t agree with Affirmative Action, Tatum presumes I’m a racist (although I’m white and would already be a racist by default, according to her philosophies).

“When the dominant identity of Whiteness goes unexamined, racial privilege also goes unacknowledged,” Tatum says. “Instead, the achievements that unearned privilege make more attainable are seen as just reward for one’s own efforts.”

Nothing exemplifies the hypocritical nature of Tatum’s reasoning more than this statement. Tatum insists whites are privileged, and therefore given preferential treatment (and because whites haven’t examined their “Privilege,” they falsely believe that what they’ve been given is based solely on merit). At the same time, Tatum’s an advocate of Affirmative Action, a system that gives preferential treatment to people because of their race (people who falsely believe that what they’ve been given is based solely on merit).

Do you see the double-standard here?

Although Tatum’s book is radical in its ideologies, it is a powerful way to confront racism in America. However, I think the title is misleading. Instead of calling the book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, Tatum should rename it, Giving the White Man a Taste of His Own Medicine. This would be much more accurate and honest.

Christopher Paslay is a Philadelphia schoolteacher. His new book, The Village Proposal: Education as a Shared Responsibility, is now available from Rowman & Littlefield . To order a copy, click here.

29 responses to “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (part two)”

The ending of this previous post misunderstands profoundly the argument Tatum makes. What Tatum is arguing is that white, middle-class individuals are unaware of the social structure that aids in their success, because that structure is not overt. Those in relative deprivation are far more apt to be aware of the social structure that contributes to their deprivation. Tatum is arguing for a formal legal remedy to level the playing field. You have three choices if you wish to oppose him. You can deny that white privilege exists and aids whites, therefore obviating the need to level the playing field. Or you can deny that a playing field made uneven by informal structure can be rectified through formal remedies (laws). Or, finally, you can acknowledge that differential privilege exists but deny the importance of rectifying it. What’s it gonna be?

Every race has their shortcomings, since every race is made of people with beliefs and behaviors. No race is special, but some races tell better stories about themselves, allowing them to be more pragmatic and productive. This is not racist, but fact, and no amount of emotion changes it. What we have to do is stop talking and encouraging isolated racial identities, and start creating a unified, cohesive human story that can be shared with all people. This is how we build solidarity. First it was God; now race is dead.

what about the white kid who has no family, no playing fielding, no guidance and nothing to get him started. I guess you can say I’m privileged then? There will never be an end to this debate, blacks and whites will never see eye to eye, we must simply agree to disagree and move on with our lives. Theirs so many different theorist out their who think they have it figured out. When you stop and take a look their is no bad and good black people and bad and good white people, there is just simply bad and good people. When we figure that out everyone will be better off.

Free speech–examine ALL UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS–be aware of unintended consequences–realize that a purpose changes as one group gains power over another–If one group is “identified as the same” then are all groups equally “identified as the same?” What happened to individual rights and individual differences?
Good article to ask some tough questions–as long as the forum is open and BOTH SIDES LISTEN and are willing to see other perspectives. As a good friend once mentioned–“It is never as good or as bad as it seems.”
I feel more energized. Energy flows where your attention goes!!!

You make great points so allow me to answer your question. I can see how you think I’ve misunderstood Tatum’s points (Tatum’s a woman by the way, not a man). However, in part one of this post (January 27th), I discussed the idea of White Privilege, and shared my views and opinions on it. I understand completely what Tatum is saying: that many middle-class whites are unaware that the American establishment aids in their success. I agree that there is some truth to this (the fact that in SOME cases, whites DO have the advantage because they are white, and that SOME whites are not completely aware of this). But just as I stated in part one of this post, I don’t agree with Tatum’s solution to this problem. I believe that change should come from WITHIN, not from the OUTSIDE. We should all practice social responsibility and treat people with dignity and respect, but in the end, we live in a society based on competition, and if certain cultures feel jilted by the system, it’s ultimately their responsibilty to be the catalyst for change, not the other guy’s. So to respond to your questions on Affirmative Action: I believe SOME differential privilege exists, and I DO want to see it rectified, but not via special treatment (by leveling the playing field through Affirmative Action); I want to see “outside” cultures look within themselves (just like President Obama) and climb the social ladder through diligence and hard work.

You have acknowledged that white privilege exists, although you restrict it to “some cases” and presumably believe to be rather rare and not a systemic feature of our society (sometimes “some cases” include Hurricane Katrina, by the way).

You then state that that change should come from “within” not from “outside”, and then you elaborate: change should come from the “outside” cultures looking within themselves, by groups left out of privilege working hard and being diligent.

What this amounts to is a rather harsh equation: you admit that injustice is occurring, but put the onus for ending it on the victims of that injustice. You actually state this rather explicitly: “if certain cultures feel jilted by the system, it’s ultimately their responsibilty to be the catalyst for change, not the other guy’s”.

Well, which is it? Do minority cultures just “feel” jilted or are they in actual fact suffering injustice? You admit the existence of white privilege, but then insinuate that it’s all in the imaginations of minorities. One thing you don’t vacillate on is the solution: minorities need to suck it up and work twice as hard as everyone else. Getting paid less for the same work doesn’t count toward this solution, I suppose.

Instead of getting upset at the author who has obviously challenged your logic, why not go make the changes you are advocating? I am doing this, and it works my friend. It takes discipline, patience and revolve, but I see concrete changes each day I do my work to unify people’s differences (I work in nonprofit, public health). This is the noble response: action. Best, Joe

This is the problem with speaking in broad generalizations. As soon as you debate Tatum’s theories, you get sucked into operating within stereotypes. Everything is dualistic: black/white; inside/outside; privileged/marginalized; rich/poor. People are no longer viewed as individuals with unique stengths and weaknesses. If you are white, you are privileged. If you are black, you are a victim of society.

This is nonsense. Just as saying all blonds are dumb is nonsense. Or that all blacks eat watermelon is nonsense. Affirmative Action gives special treatment to people because of skin color, and behind that skin color there is a broad generalization: white = privileged; black = victim. It may or may not be true in any particular case, but it doesn’t matter, because Affirmative Action doesn’t treat people as unique, separate entities.

I don’t like generalizing. I don’t like stereotyping. I interact with people as individuals. Talk to me, not my race. And no, I don’t believe that minorities must work twice as hard. Again, this is a blanket statement. What “work” are we talking about? And “who” are we talking about? Barack Obama? Oprah Winfrey? Donnovan McNabb? Are we talking about being a teacher in Philadelphia? If we are, blacks clearly have the advantage. As I write this there are positions in the school district listed as AAO: African American Only. Is this my white privilege?

This is my world view, and it’s not going to change (just as I’m sure your views aren’t going to change). I guess in the end we’ll have to agree to disagree.

” You admit the existence of white privilege, but then insinuate that it’s all in the imaginations of minorities. One thing you don’t vacillate on is the solution.”

One if the many problems with that statement is what constitutes privilege and why it has become moral question? Since the question “privilege” has become a moral issue rather than a term used to describe a particular (flexible) position in ones life.
Nor are so-called minorities imagining differences in the privilege game. As a white male I’m aware that there are many white men and women who have more privilege’s than I ever will have. And, find me any of the world’s societies/ethnic groups where some kind of privilege does not exist? Privilege exists because people are not (gasp) equal. Who becomes the headman of a small tribe in the Amazon jungle? certainly not a man who is sickly, is a poor hunter or has no interest in being chief.
You speak of a solution to privilege? well, if we read our history books we learn what happens when people begin to moralize privilege.
So how do I view this concept of white privilege-easy-it’s a demand that one confess to crimes one has not commited or may commit in the future; At the the behest of those who claim to have the inside tract to a utopian society.

The focus should be placed on the “culture” of poverty, as all American nationals who were born and raised in the US– regardless of ethnic ancestry– still share a majority of core values and traits despite the sometimes obvious deviations.

A person should not particularly feel guilty about the plight or misfortune of others (“race” as an excuse to fail/succeed, act/react) unless one is deliberately perpetuating the corruption of the human condition through misinformation: stereotypes, slander, libel, self-entitlement, etc.

Race in itself is an antiquated and demeaning label used to categorize and dehumanize, and its use should cease.

Because whites are supposedly the “unexamined norm” of society, she claims they “can easily reach adulthood without thinking much about their racial group.” She also states they “tend to think of racial identity as something that other people have, not something that is salient for them.” >>>

I’m a white female and this is the only part I agree with.( I’ve not read all of this in detail yet). We do not wake up every day and wonder how we can best be assimilated, or that we have to be and do better than other groups, or wonder what minority scholarships are out there for us, nor do we have generalized anxiety about who we are in this country.

St. Patrick’s Day et al. aren’t really relevant in this discussion. Ex: An African American teacher said to me years ago, and i’ll never forget it: “being Jewish in America is no big deal, you can pass, and I can’t”. In other words, she had feelings that I never had to acknowledge as a white person, and her postion was higher than mine. I think these distictions are becoming less important as time goes on, but they are still there.

I agree with H.P. in this sense (and this phrasing is typical of my speech)- this white guilt thing has got to go, but also the companion statement that follows: “I wasn’t around in the time of slavery”, and am therefore exempt from doing anything.

People seriously need to move on from this nonsense, and deal with issues as they present themselves. Electing a black President and continuing to make new laws with respect to discrimination (racial ,sexual orientation and gender) are very important steps in this long process, and those students who deal effectively with these lunch table “taboos”, are the ones who will show others the way. I personally never segregated myself from any of my friends.

When Tatum speaks of privilege she is speaking of white skin privilege. What is that? It constitutes many thins. As Cathy acknowledged she has the luxury that as a black woman I don not of never having to consider her race on a daily basis. She has never had to wonder whether someone white was rude to her based on the color of her skin, or how best she can assimilate herself into the broader society.

She will likely not be followed around a store, over looked by taxi drivers, or questioned as to why she is in certain places just because her skin is white. These things have happened to me and many blacks like me. I am a middle class, educated young black woman who dresses and comports herself as such. Why would anyone follow me around a store? Demand to know if my Nordstrom card belongs to me? Or look at me askance when I am in an environment where it is assumed only whites should be?

Whites are helped by their skin privilege whether rich or poor. How is it that a white man with a felony is more likely to be hired than a black man? Why is it that white HS graduates make more money than black HS graduates? Why do young white women who disappear merit more media coverage than young women of color who disappear? Some of you need to step back from Dr. Tatum and consider the message in that book.

When you have entrenched institutionalized racism looking within oneself and ones own group is not enough. It is those who a perpetrating the racism who need to look within themselves and change from the inside out.

poetess, perhaps I don’t have your exact problem, but as a white teacher trying to survive in Philadelphia, I’m forced to consider my race on a daily basis. I’m told by the powers that be at the school district that black children are best served by teachers who “look like them”. I’m forced, on a daily basis, to prove to the black community that I’m not a racist and I have to keep trying to assimilate myself into the African American community in which I teach. Racism “works” in reverse, you know.

With the black population empowered by the election of a (half) black president, all that’s necessary is to play the race card and everyone must immediately back off and “reward” black people whatever it is they want because a long time ago, they were enslaved. Blacks were not the only people who were enslaved. As a Jew, should I despise all Germans because of Hitler and the concentration camps?

Why is it that a black student can call a teacher “white bitch” and no one castigates him for being racist? Why can black parents insist that they want only black teachers for their children and they aren’t called racists? If a white parent demanded the same for her child, we all know what would happen.

There is reverse racism entrenched within the black community and those who perpetuate it need to look within themselves and change. It’s time for everyone to move on and learn to co-exist peacefully, as Dr. Martin Luther King urged us all to do.

The oppressors are the ones who need to LISTEN and to change. You’re classic. And you may have read Dr. Tatum’s book, but you certainly didn’t understand it.

Dear, YOU are one of the oppressors because you refuse to change, nor to realize that you’re only contributing to the problem. Until black people move on past slavery, they are the oppressors.

“I’m forced to consider my race on a daily basis…”

I’m certain, for the first time in your life. I and every other Black American have had to consider race for a lifetime on a daily basis.

Nevertheless, this white person has encountered reverse racism. Stop trying to invalidate it because of longevity. Weak argument.

“With the black population empowered by the election of a (half) black president, all that’s necessary is to play the race card and everyone must immediately back off and “reward” black people whatever it is they want.”

LOL. I’ll have to try that down at the Lottery Headquarters. I don’t think we’re any more empowered than before we had an AA president, the last time I checked we’re still poorer, there’s still entrenched institutionalized racism, and racist idiots still roam the land.

But racist idiots come in all colors. There is plenty of institutionalized reverse racism and you’re shrugging it off as nothing. Open your eyes.

Why is it that a black student can call a teacher “white bitch” and no one castigates him for being racist? Why can black parents insist that they want only black teachers for their children and they aren’t called racists?

Those parents want to role models for their children, people who “look like them” for insipiration and proof that they can do better in life. That’s what they’re asking for. If you knew anything about blacks, if you read Dr. Tatum’s book, if you LISTENED…you would understand that.

Anyone who would say that is a racist. Parents should demand GOOD teachers, regardless of their race. If white parents demanded white teachers for their children to serve as “role models”, they would be arrested and we would hear moral outrage from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. How about PARENTS serving as role models? What a novel idea!!!

When that child called a teacher a white bitch it wasn’t coming from a history of thinking of whites as inferior and oppressing them. But it was still disrespectful and wrong, and that child should have been taken to task.

Are you kidding? That child grew up hearing racist statements at home and felt quite comfortable repeating them at school. Of course it’s disrespectful and wrong, but when children hear hateful words from family and friends, they believe they are true.

Blacks were not the only people who were enslaved. As a Jew, should I despise all Germans because of Hitler and the concentration camps?

No, but I would understand if you did. Blacks weren’t the only ones that were enslaved but they were the only ones enslaved in America and their experiences have shaped their attitudes and the attitudes of the whites in this country. It happened a long time ago, but Jim Crow and discrimination followed in it’s wake and continues to influence blacks and their relationship with whites to the present day, as you know.

You would understand that kind of hatred, hundreds of years later??? Go read Dr. Martin Luther King’s words. It’s people like you who perpetuate racist ideas.

You would go along way if you stopped minimizing the black experience and really tried to understand it. Start by really reading Dr. Tatum’s book, particularly the chapter on White Identity.

Please spare me.

You would go a long way if you stopped judging people by the color of their skin and concentrated on the content of their character.

That’s all I got.

Thank goodness, because I’ve heard just about enough of your nonsense. Thanks, Fed Up, for speaking up about it.

The oppressors are the ones who need to LISTEN and to change. You’re classic. And you may have read Dr. Tatum’s book, but you certainly didn’t understand it.

“I’m forced to consider my race on a daily basis…”

I’m certain, for the first time in your life. I and every other Black American have had to consider race for a lifetime on a daily basis.

“With the black population empowered by the election of a (half) black president, all that’s necessary is to play the race card and everyone must immediately back off and “reward” black people whatever it is they want.”

LOL. I’ll have to try that down at the Lottery Headquarters. I don’t think we’re any more empowered than before we had an AA president, the last time I checked we’re still poorer, there’s still entrenched institutionalized racism, and racist idiots still roam the land.

Why is it that a black student can call a teacher “white bitch” and no one castigates him for being racist? Why can black parents insist that they want only black teachers for their children and they aren’t called racists?

Those parents want to role models for their children, people who “look like them” for insipiration and proof that they can do better in life. That’s what they’re asking for. If you knew anything about blacks, if you read Dr. Tatum’s book, if you LISTENED…you would understand that.

When that child called a teacher a white bitch it wasn’t coming from a history of thinking of whites as inferior and oppressing them. But it was still disrespectful and wrong, and that child should have been taken to task.

Blacks were not the only people who were enslaved. As a Jew, should I despise all Germans because of Hitler and the concentration camps?

No, but I would understand if you did. Blacks weren’t the only ones that were enslaved but they were the only ones enslaved in America and their experiences have shaped their attitudes and the attitudes of the whites in this country. It happened a long time ago, but Jim Crow and discrimination followed in it’s wake and continues to influence blacks and their relationship with whites to the present day, as you know.

You would go along way if you stopped minimizing the black experience and really tried to understand it. Start by really reading Dr. Tatum’s book, particularly the chapter on White Identity.

poetess, read this touching tribute to a teacher who was a role model to her students, who gave them ” inspiration and proof that they can do better in life.” And she wasn’t African American, either. The bottom line is that one doesn’t have to look like their students in order to inspire them. If you LISTENED, you would understand that.

I never claimed that I personally thought that only AA teachers can inspire AA students. I was inspired by two wonderful teachers, both white. My English teacher and my French teacher. What I was saying is that this is how a lot of blacks feel but it was just dismissed as nonsense without any apparent understanding the social and historical context that has given rise to those feelings.

This demonstrates that words were heard, but there was no comprehension or should I say acknowledgment. One first needs to acknowledge, demonstrate understanding, before one can move on to helping another consider a different perspective.

I wrote a long spiel about some nuances I think you should be aware of, but then I remembered, you’re far more educated than I. So instead of inform of you my opinion, I would like to direct your attention to some articles that will put what the crazy lady said into perspective (I think she’s extremely inflammatory, but what she says as backing in historical fact).

Omi and Winant’s Racial Formation in the United States is an excellent article describing how Race is a sociohistorical concept.

White Negroes and Smoked Irish by Noel Ignatiev describes how Irish were portrayed as similar Black at one point in time and had to fight to become “White.” Good show of how racial categories are socially constructed and how “accepting Whiteness” has historically granted groups priveleges.

When Affirmative Action was White by Ira Katznelson. I think this will help you understand why she pressed so aggressively for affirmative action. Historically, Whites have had a lot of affirmative action that was denied to minorities. And when the Civil Rights leaders proposed Affirmative Action, suddenly the mainstream revolted against it. It’s a big contradiction in American History.

The radicals often use the language incorrectly to make White people appear responsible. The status of minorities in the United States, while motivated by ideological (personal) reasons, is a structural issue. Our society has created this atmosphere, not any individual, and the government largely played right into it since the Constitution (it had four clauses that basically made slavery acceptable: 1) Comity, so Northern institutions had to respect southern institutions 2) 1st fugitive slave clause 3) slave importation provision guaranteeing slave imports for at least 20 years 4) 3/5 clause. and slavery was, of course, based exclusively on race).

Be critical of racism (even that reverse racism), but don’t fall into the trap of forgetting that it didn’t come from nowhere… these people are trying to address real problems that our society is still grappling with and most people don’t even acknowledge exists. For example in neoliberal theory, it assumes the existence of an equal playing field. That just obviously is not how our society is. Minorities live in ghettos, are born to uneducated, poor parents and attend really poor schools.

So I would ask you: if not affirmative action, then what? What’s the alternative?

Be careful of reactionary tendencies. It’s what killed the Civil Rights Movement that still had so much left to do.

I think your reflection is insightful and well-written. I have one point of general constructive criticism which doesn’t apply specifically to Tatum’s book.

In regard to:
“For example, in Part III of her book, Tatum presumes to tell us all how to understand “Whiteness in a White Context”. If I recall correctly, isn’t Tatum black?”

Logically speaking, it’s irrational to use the identity of a person who broaches an argument to validate or invalidate that person’s argument. Tatum’s statements about white people may be false, but you need to evaluate the argument itself in order to prove your case.

This is especially important to discussions about ethnicity and race, because any person is qualified to make statements about any ethnic group, so long as those statements are supported by relevant research and data).

In your defense, I see that you go on to evaluate the author’s case. But I think you should start there and skip the identity bit.

You started a pretty interesting conversation. Thank you. Please take a look at the video below. It is pretty good at explaining the idea of white privilege. I gather from the conversation, that you may value the opinions more because they’re coming from a white guy.

As Dr. Tatum said, if not well-facilitated, discussing racism could have negative consequence including people digging in their heels for fear of being confused by facts. That unfortunately is played out in many comments here.

Blindness to the reality of white privilege makes any discussion on racism an exercise in futility. Failure to acknowledge the Black person’s experiences such as being looked over for service at the airport or grocery store for the next White person (in Burbank California) or being denied rental in Brussels Belgium, or being skipped over for hotel service in Lagos Nigeria – all in favor of the White person – may possibly be for lack of knowledge. However, it doesn’t diminish the reality of privilege enjoyed by one group to the devastation of others. If some beneficiaries cannot acknowledge that much, there are others who can and those are the White Allies that the doctor talked about.

Paslay, Dr. Laura, the FOX crew, Rush, and all constitute a waste of energy and time as far as discussing the subject of racism (in America or around the world) is concerned.

Bolaji, white people are experiencing being looked over for job advancement and in schools, white teachers are being skipped over to accommodate teachers of color. Racism works both ways, and there is a sense of entitlement afforded to certain black people based on the last presidential election. In the Phila. school system, the reality of privilege enjoyed by people of color is to the devastation of others. Your lack of knowledge is truly astounding. Until you acknowledge that reverse racism is prevalent in our society, then comments like yours are a waste of time and energy.